Mapping the structural determinants of presynaptic neurotoxicity of snake venom phospholipases A2

The structural features of presynaptically neurotoxic secretory phospholipases A2 (sPLA2s) that are responsible for their potent and specific action are still a matter of debate. To identify the residues that distinguish a highly neurotoxic sPLA2, ammodytoxin A (AtxA), from a structurally similar but more than two orders of magnitude less toxic Russell's viper sPLA2, VIIIa, we prepared a range of mutants and compared their properties. The results show that the structural features that confer high neurotoxicity to AtxA extend from its C-terminal part, with a central role of the residues Y115, I116, R118, N119 (the YIRN cluster) and F124, across the interfacial binding surface (IBS) in the vicinity of F24, to the N-terminal helix whose residues M7 and G11 are located on the edges of the IBS. Competition binding studies indicate that the surface of interaction with the neuronal M-type sPLA2 receptor R180 extends over a similar region of the molecule. In addition, the YIRN cluster of AtxA is crucial for the high-affinity interaction with two intracellular binding proteins, calmodulin and R25. The concept of a single “presynaptic neurotoxic site” on the surface of snake venom sPLA2s is not consistent with these results which suggest that different parts of the toxin molecule are involved in distinct steps of presynaptic neurotoxicity.